ginger chicken and oriental veggies in crock pot

I found this recipe here http://www.simplebites.net/coconut-ginger-chicken-vegetables-slow-cooker/
Serve it over Jasmine rice. I changed it a tiny bit in that I used one can of broth and one can of coconut milk.
Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 inch cube of ginger (about 30 grams), roughly chopped
• 1 small sweet onion, peeled, quartered
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil (I omitted)
• 2 Tablespoons butter (I omitted) 
• 2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into four
• 2 cans coconut milk, not shaken (I used one can chicken broth and I can coconut milk)
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 can of baby corn cobs (I added some frozen mixed oriental veggies-thawed- at last hour)
• 1 cup peas or frozen vegetables of your choice

For the spice blend

• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1½ teaspoons ground tumeric
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Combine ingredients from the spice blend together and set aside.
2. In a mini food processor, combine garlic, ginger and onion and pulse until it forms a paste.(Hmm-I didn't do this--might have been even better if I had seen this--I just chopped it up and threw it in the cooker with the spices.-- making a paste form of it might be good!)
3. In the bottom of a slow-cooker placed on a burner (see IMPORTANT note above--don't place on burner if you don't have this kind of adaptable slow cooker!), heat olive oil and melt butter. Add pureed aromatics and stir well. Cook for a few minutes, then add spice blend. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Move aromatics to one side of the pot and add chicken pieces to the pot. Cook chicken slightly on all sides, using a sturdy wooden spoon to move it around the pot. It should get thoroughly coated with the spice mixture. (I didn't do this--I just threw it in the pot, here is to next time! )
5. Open the cans of coconut milk and remove the cream from the top using a soup spoon. You should have about 1 cup. Pour the coconut milk over the chicken and with both cans, it should just barely cover the chicken.(I put in chicken broth and one can of coconut milk from which I saved the cream for later in the recipe)
6. Drain the corn cobs and chop in half. Add to the slow-cooker.(I added these during last 1/2 hour on high setting).
7. Place the slow cooker in the base and cook on low for 4 hours.
8. Whisk cornstarch with coconut cream until smooth and add to the chicken. Stir well. Add frozen peas or other vegetables of your choice. Cook for another half an hour or until you deem the chicken cooked and the vegetables hot. (I used peas and an oriental mix that had the little cobs and snow peas, broccoli and carrots)
9. Serve over cooked Jasamine rice